Adjustable floor for refrigerator ice-tanks



Patented May 30, I899. n. GRAHAM & n. m. PIERCE.

ADJUSTABLE FLOUR FOR REFRIGERATOR ICE TANKS.

(Application filed Aug. 24, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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N'ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBERT GRAHAM AND EDGAR R. M. PIERCE, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA,

- ASSIGNORS TO ARMOUR & CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR ICE-TANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,061, dated May 30,1899.

Application filed August 24, 1897. Serial No. 649,295. (No model.)

To all whom it ntay concern.-

Be it known that we, ROBERT GRAHAM and EDGAR R. M. PIERCE, ofSacramento, California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Adjustable Floors for Refrigerator Ice-Tanks, of whichthe following is a specification. v

This invention relates to adjustable floors for the ice-tanks ofrefrigerator-cars or other refrigerators, but is particularly adapted tothe ice-tanks of refrigerator-cars for the reason that such carsfrequently require varying amounts of ice in different portions of thejourney and at different seasons of the year. The ice-tanks ofrefrigerator-cars have heretofore been provided with a supplementalicerack hinged to the side walls of the tank above the permanent slattedfloor, such hinged sections being capable of folding against the sidewalls of the car and also capable of being extended horizontally acrossthe chamber, in which latter position they have been used to supportice, affording adequate refrigeration through a portion of the trip.Then when the car with such an arrangement of ice-tank reaches a pointwhere it is economical or desirable to re-iee the car the remnant of theice on the tanks is moved from one section to the other, the freedsection folded up and the ice then pushed over the other section intothe chamber below, and the second section thus freed folded up againstthe side of the car,when the filling of the chamber to the top with iceproceeds. This construction serves in a crude way the main purpose ofour invention but our improvement has several advantages thereover,which will be fully explained hereinafter.

The general object of our invention is to secure the economical anddesirable results attained by previous inventors with certainimprovements thereon both in economy of construction and convenience ofoperation To attain the objects to which our invention relates, weconstruct an ice-tank having upright side walls with the usual openingsat top and bottom for the circulation of the air, all of which may be ofthe usual construction, except as required to be modified-by theaddition of our improved fioor. Our floor is preferably made in twosections pivoted or movably supported at their 'ends adjacent to theside walls of the car, being capable of assuming different angularpositions relatively to said walls and occupying in their two positionsof use an inclined position with reference to the floor of the car. Apermanent support for the floor is arranged across the ice-chamber nearits bottom, which support may be a beam supported on suitable blocksresting in the floor-pan, and when the floor is supported in position onthis support the tank may be filled with ice to the extent of itscubical capacity, save the triangular spaces under the floor or hingedends of the floor-sections. These sections may, when a smaller quantityof ice will suffice in use, be

raised to an inclined position and their inner ends elevated above theirouter or hinged ends, thus reducing the size of the chamber andsupporting the ice in an elevated position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional Viewthrough the icetank of a refrigerator-car, looking toward the interiorof the car. i Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of a part of one ofthe floor-sections.

In the accompanying drawings let 4 represent the side walls of a carhaving in its roof the usual ice-tank opening 5.

- 6 represents the air-inlet opening of the tank, usually screened, and7 the cold-air outlet at the bottom. Upon the floor is placed the usualfloor-pan, (indicated at 8,) and above said permanent floor are movablysupported the ice-racks 9. Said ice-racksmay be conveniently formed ofslats or scantlings strung upon the rods 10, with suitablefilling-blocks 11. Upon the side walls of the car are secured the cleatsor stringers 12, their upper faces being preferably beveled, and uponsaid beveled surfaces the outer ends of the iceracks rest. Said outerends are preferably rounded, and the racks are confined by the straps13, passing over thefilling blocks and secured to the side wall andstringer, although any other suitable means for holding the racksagainst separation from their supports may be employed. A permanentsupport for the ends of the rack-sections may be provided by thecross-timber 14, supported upon suitable blocks 15, resting in theice-pan, and

said rack-sections may have eyebolts 16 near their free ends.

17 represents a hanger provided with an eye 18 to receive the hookedrods 19, whose lower ends are hooked into the eyebolt 16.

20 represents a ring with eyebolt,with which each section is provided asa convenient means for raising them, and said sections may be lifted andthere supported from the hookbolts to the intermediate position shown bythe dotted lines in Fig. 1. These two adjustments of the floor-sectionsgive the necessary variation in cubical capacity required and take theplace of the permanent floor and adj ustable floor heretofore employedand above referred to. For the purpose of cleaning the ice-tank thesections may be thrown up into the vertical position shown by the dottedlines in Fig. 1 and the eyebolts 16 secured to the eyebolts 20by meansof the pins 21.

While we prefer the particular construction above described, variationsmay be made therein so long as the feature of floor-sections capable ofbeing maintained in the two positions inclined to the horizontal, hereinshown and described, is preserved. The advantages of this constructionare numerous. The original cost of construction and the continual costof hauling an extra orsupplemental floor are avoided and the spaceoccupied thereby is utilized for the storage of ice. The sections beingplaced at-an angle in both of their positions in use, the force of theshock in filling the tank with ice is much lessened. The particularpoint at which the floor-sections are hinged at the outer ends may bevaried; but we prefer to support such outer ends in such a position thatwhen raised the space above the floor-sections will be slightly greaterthan the chamber or space below. It is obvious that the ice-chamber maybe expanded and contracted as to its cubical capacity to the extent ofthe space inclosed between planes passing through the pivotal lines andthe upper and lower central supports of the floorsections. \Vhile wehave shown means for supporting the floor-sections in only one elevatedposition, it is obvious that by using hook-bolts of different lengths orby using adjustable hangers the angle of inclination tan ks comprisingsections movabl y supported at their outer ends and capable of swingingabove and below a horizontal plane at their inner ends, whereby the sizeof the ice-tank may be varied, and means oi-supporting the inner ends ofsaid sections in both their raised and lowered positions, substantiallyas dcscribed.

2. An adjustable iioor for the ice-tanks of refrigerator-cars comprisingin combination two sections hinged at their outer ends and capable ofbeing moved at their inner ends in diagonal positions respectively aboveand below a horizontal plane passing through their pivots, and means forsupporting the inner ends of said sections in both their raised andlowered positions, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with an ice-tank having upright walls, of anadjustable floor constructed in sections, said floor-sections beingmovably supported at the outer ends, a permanent support for their innerends located below the points of support and a retaining or suspendingmeans arranged above the said points, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the ice-tank of a refrigerator-car, ofadjustable floor-sections hinged at their outer ends to the side wallsof the car, a support for the inner ends of said sections extendingtransversely of the ice-,,

tank and below their pivotal points, a hanger for said inner endsadapted to support said inner ends at a point above their pivots, andsaid sections being capable of folding into a vertical position, withmeans for retaining them in such position to afford access to the floorof the tank for cleaning, substantially as described.

ROBERT GRAHAM. EDGAR R. M. PIERCE.

\Vitnesses:

E. L. HAWK, O. D. I-IAWK.

